The present invention relates in general to guide devices for positioning elongated small diameter generally cylindrical exterior shaped material fed between a pair of drive belts along a feed path, and more particularly to a positioning guide for belt feed rotary cutting machines for cutting rubber and plastic small diameter material of such shape to a cutting station for high speed cutting.
Heretofore, various devices have been proposed for feeding and cutting material such as rod-like continuous extruded bodies or similar tubular rubber or plastic stock wherein feed belts or similar feed members advance the material to a cutting station. Examples of these may be found in the prior Reinhart et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,561,051 and 3,577,935 wherein continuous cylindrical extruded stock is fed to a cutter by a pair of feed belts. The Arnold et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,423,497 discloses a similar type of feed arrangement for cylindrical continuous extruded stock, wherein the stock is advanced to a cutter by either a pair of grooved feed pulleys or a pair of similarly grooved endless feed belts. The Thorman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,536 also shows a pair of confronting feed belts and a cutter, the Hasten et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,894 employs a similar pair of confronting endless feed belts, and the Borsvold U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,796 shows a pair of continuous feed belts embracing opposite sides of a cylindrical product. However, none of these patents disclose structure which satisfactorily constrains the material along the predetermined guide path in the most critical span between the exit zone from the confronting closely adjacent portions of the feed belts to the cutter where small continuous lengths of generally cylindrical exterior or rod shaped material of rubber or plastic material of similar properties are highly subject to getting out of position and producing an improper cut.
An object of the present invention is the provision of a novel positioning guide for extruded rubber or similar plastic small-diameter continuous lengths of generally cylindrical or rod-like stock material for effectively constraining the continuous feed material in the regions immediately adjacent the feed end and discharge end of the zone between a pair of elongated continuous drive belts and in the span between the exit end of the drive belt pair and a cutter to maintain precise positioning of the stock material at the cutter.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel material positioning guide as described in the preceding paragraph, wherein the guide forms an elongated plate-like body having cylindrical guide bores at the inlet and outlet ends of the body and wherein the bore communicates along the feed axis with an intermediate slot of a width corresponding to the diameter of the guide bores which is exposed above and below to the adjacent parallel reaches of two feed belts to permit effective feeding of the stock material to a high speed rotary cutter while maintaining the material precisely positioned along the feed path.
Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.